Containers of capsule like form



g- 11, 1959 L. s. HASKINS 2,899,097

CONTAINERS OF CAPSULE LIKE FORM Filed Oct. 29, 1957 INVENTOR.

Lewfs S. HHSKINS. WM

United States Patent CONTAINERS OF CAPSULE LIKE FORM Lewis S. Haskins, Rio Pietlras, Puerto Rico, assign'or to Hardfield Corporation, Puerto Rico, a corporation of Puerto Rico Application October 29, 1957, Serial No. 693,145 1 Claim. (Cl. 2204) My invention relates to containers of capsule-like form, of transparent or tinted semi-transparent material such as a thermoplastic, the capsules and their contents frequently being in the nature of novelties.

My invention has for its object the provision of a container of the character referred to that can be made in a simple and inexpensive manner, and wherein the cup-like parts can easily be assembled and disassembled, but are nevertheless resistant to accidental disengagement from each other.

Another object of my invention is to provide duplicate cups of such form that two of them can readily be interlocked to form a container and wherein the interior surfaces of the cups are smooth, notwithstanding the presence of the locking or fastening elements by which the cups are connected to each other.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 shows the two cups of a container in disassembled relation;

Fig. 2 is a view thereof when assembled, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the assembled structure.

The container comprises two cup members 5 of suitable flexible material, of duplicate form. Each cup has a rib 6 that may conveniently be formed thereon by a pressing operation, while the material of the cup is in a plastic condition. The ribs extend most of the distance peripherally of the cups, there being a space between the ends of each rib as shown at 7 in Fig. 2.

In making the cup, that portion of the material that would otherwise serve to completely fill out the rib, is deflected and spread axially to form a finger 8. Each finger 8 has a lip or hook 9 at its free end that is outturned to extend through a hole or slot 10 in the other cup.

The rib 6 of each cup is of reduced wall thickness at 12, to accommodate the finger 8 of the other cup which can thereby lie flush with the adjacent inner faces of both cups when its hook 9 is snapped into the hole 10, as shown in Fig. 3. Since the cups are of duplicate form and of resiliently flexible material, they can readily be assembled and disassembled, by moving the upper and lower cups of Figure 1 toward each other in such position that the lips 9 can be entered into the slots 10 with slight flexing and lateral movement.

However, in order to reduce danger of accidental disengagement through slight lateral movement of the upper cup 5 relative to the lower cup, I provide a pair of stop shoulders 14 on the upper cup 5 that will enter slots 15 in the thickened edge of the other cup. Also stop shoulders 16 on the lower cup will enter slots 17 on the upper cup when the parts are assembled. This prevents such lateral shifting as would result in disengagement of the lips 9 from the holes 10.

I claim as my invention:

A container of capsule-like form, that comprises a pair of cups each of which has a pair of ribs formed integrally with its edge and each rib extending peripherally of its cup edge for a distance less than in position to provide diametrically opposite slot-like spaces between the ends of the ribs, a finger projecting axially from the inner surface of each cup, at one of its ribs, at the area between the ends of the said one rib and being formed integrally with the cup, and an out-turned hook on the outer end of the finger, each cup having a hole through its sidewall at the rear face of its other rib and diametrally opposite its finger, the said fingers being resiliently flexible, the said hooks extending in opposite radial directions and each hole being in position to receive the hook of a mating cup when the cups are assembled with their ribs abutting each other in an axial direction, an axially-extending stop shoulder on each rib at a point adjacent to one of its ends, in position to enter the slot-like space between the ribs of the other cup when assembling the cups, the stop shoulders projecting axially beyond the ribs a lesser distance than the fingers, so that they will not abut the opposed ribs until after the finger of each cup has been inserted into the other cup at a point approximately opposite to the hole of said other cup, whereby when the cups are brought together in slightly radially offset relation and pressed toward each other while sliding them into axial alinement, the hooks will enter the said holes and the shoulders of each cup enter the spaces between the ribs of the other cup.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 164,540 Yates Sept. 11, 1951 2,464,017 Berghorn Mar. 8, 1949 2,695,723 Waterman Nov. 30, 1954 2,744,650 Woessner May 8, 1956 2,762,411 Haskins Sept. 11, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 486,367 Great Britain June 2, 1938 

